I believe I have a leak on one of my AC lines that causes refrigerant to escape after a very short space of time. The AC itself works fine when the cold stuff is present so confident the lines require refurbing.

Anyone have experience of removing, repairing and reinstalling the AC lines?

Car has been converted to R134a if that makes a diff!

TIA!!!

 

Sometimes you can tell where it's leaking by looking for a wet oily spot near a hose joint. There are quite a few o-rings in the system, especially if you have rear AC. The integrity of your system is only as good as the weakest seal. You will save a lot of money if you can find a place to rebuild your hoses. A local shop rebuilt mine, re-using the ends and replacing the hose with barrier hose for about $30 each. New hoses can cost hundreds of dollars. Use o-rings which are compatible with R-134a and lubricate them with compressor oil when installing. I bought a o-ring assortment with enough o-rings for several jobs for $15. Single o-rings can cost several dollars each from the dealer. There are several ways to test for leaks before recharging. I used dry nitrogen to pressurize the system and checked for leaks using a soap solution looking for bubbles. Then I evacuated the system and waited to see if it held a vacuum. Once you have it working well, don't forget to run the AC at least once a month to keep the seals from drying out. I'm considering changing back to R12 because of the rising prices of R-134a and better cooling with R12. Also, R-134a molecules are smaller than R12 and can seep through the hoses.

 

Steve.........thx for the input and yes I'll be rebuilding the lines once I have them in hand.

Can't use R12 in this part of the world unless there's a blackmarket for the stuff.......I have connections at a GM dealership and they can't get the stuff.

Looking for advice on pulling the lines off..........anyone been there done that and learned easier methods than the WSM?

TIA

 

It would be better if you could actually find the leaks...

The most likely cause of leakage is the O-rings at the joints. Every joint is sealed by an O-ring.

We sell O-ring kits with the exact sizes and types that you need.

 

You should identify the leak first as it may be a component. You will need a new reciever/drier and take a good look at the expansion valves as well.

You can buy R12 off ebay and probably get someone to ship it as well. I suspect if your car came with r-12 than you could still use it, unless the retrofit has taken place.

Garrity

 

I'd be careful about assuming it's the lines - why not add some UV dye at the next top up and find out for sure. Any leak shows up brillinatly under a UV light - mine turned out to be the compressor seals (common I gather).
Good luck
M

 

Folks.......thanks for all the input.

The car has been retrofitted to R134a and was refilled last year with dye which came out near the input valve on the line. I agree the 'o' rings are suspect and shall replace those when I r&r the lines. As the car is 17 years old and as the lines have to be removed to replace the 'O' rings I may as well rebuild them when they are off.

Still looking for input re. R&R the lines.

 

Malcolm;
R12 is not on the verboten list in Canada...it never has been. Even in the US, where is was generally considered banned many years ago, it is readily available as qualified shops. LOts of disinformation on this topic.

Most auto shops that do AC work can recharge your system with R12 or R134...your choice. My local import auto shop still does lots of R12 recharges. They recommend you stay with R12 in an R12 OEM car if at all possible.

Just thought you should know...

Regards,
SteveCo in St. John's